Bottle collar



Sept. 7, 1937. HOEN BOTTLE COLLAR Filed Oct. 26, 1956 [/v VEN TOR 45mm; HOE/v ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE Lewis Hoen, Palos Verde to The Cali fornia Florida Company,

COLLAR s Estates, Calif., assignor Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 26,

6 Claims.

or printed instructions for utilizing the contents of the ottle.

of the collar projects lateral] eter of the body of the bottle not interfere with stacking bottle.

Another object of thei and therefore does or crating of the nvention resides in the bottle. It is still another object of the invention to of the character described These and other objects and features of construction of my invention will be made apparv ent in the following specification read in connection with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

1 Figs. 1 and 2 are utility views illustrating the 1936, Serial No. 107,615 (Cl. 404) manner in which my bottle collar is applied to the tapered portion of a bottle, the collar of Fig. 2 being rotated relative to the collar of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a face View of the collar illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 before to conform to the shape of the bottle.

Fig. 5 is a face view of an alternative form of collar, and

Fig. 6 is a face View of still another alternative form.

Referring first to the form of collar shown in M Figs. 1 to 4, the collar generally designated by the numeral ll comprises a flat sheet l2 of flexible material, such as paper, slightly elongated in form and having a suitably contoured marginal edge I3. As shownmarginal edge [3 so that the opposite ends l4 and I5 are each formed to a radius respectively indicated at l6 and I1, spaced on either side of the median lateral axis of the sheet, indil9 in the marginal edge l3 on opposite sides of the sheet l2, these indentations being suitably formed by curving the marginal edge inwardly axis X-X and tangential to the curvature of the end portions l4 and I5.

Formed on the axis XX is an elongated slot 20, the opposite ends 2| and 22 of which terminate adjacent the marginal edge defined by the indentations I8 and I9.

In the preferred form shown, I provide scored lines 23, 24, 25, and 26 formed in one surface of the sheet I2, the scored lines 23 and 24 extending divergently outward from the end 2| of the slot to the marginal edge 13 of the sheet on op posite sides of the indentation l8, and the scored lines 25 and 26 extending divergently outward from the end 22 of the slot to the marginal edge l3 on opposite sides of the indentation l9.

In installing the collar II on a bottle, such as the bottle 30 shown in Fig. 1 or 2, which has a neck portion 3|, an intermediate tapered portion 32, and an enlarged body 33, the neck portion of the bottle is inserted through the slot 2!] causing the walls of the slot to be spread laterally. When this occurs, the material of the sheet I2 is forced to crease along the scored lines 23, 24, 25, and 26, and the material 35 between the respective pairs of scored lines is caused to bend along the axis I prefer to contour the on a radius located on the '5 it has been distended l X-X. When the collar l l is pushed downwardly on the neck 3| so that the walls of the slot 20 are stretched tightly around the upper small diameter end 36 of the tapered portion 32, the marginal edges [3 of the ends l4 and I5 of the collar will be deformed to the extent that these edges will closely engage and conform to the contour of a larger diameter of the tapered portion 32. Considering that the tapered portion 32 has a relatively straight taper, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, substantially the entire surface of the sheet l2 engages and closely conforms to the surface of the tapered portion, as indicated, except the portions of the material between the scored lines 23 and 24, and 25 and 25. These portions, having been creased along these scored lines and bent along the median plane of the sheet forming the axis of the slot 25, will form laterally projecting wings 40 on opposite sides of the tapered portion 32, substantially as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. In practice, the tapered portion 32 of the bottle need not have a straight taper, such as is indicated; the collar being adapted to retain its position just as efficiently on a bottle having a bell-shaped contour 31, indicated in Fig. 2. When a bottle collar H is placed on a bottle having this shape, the central portion 38 of the oppositely disposed pendants 39, formed by the opposite sides of the sheet l2 when the collar is positioned on the bottle, may not engage and exactly conform to the bell-shaped surface 31. However, when the side walls of the slot 25 are stretched around a small diameter portion 35 of the bottle, substantially the entire marginal edge l3 of each of the pendants 35 will engage and conform to the shape of a larger diameter portion of the bell-shaped body.

In practice the length of the slot 25 is determined by the position which it is desired that the collar assume on the bottle. It will be clear that the spreading of the walls of the slot 29 causes the deformation of the material of the sheet 12 and the tighter the walls of the slot are stretched around the upper tapered portion of the bottle the more the material will tend to crease along the scored lines 23 and 24, and 25 and 26, which allows the surface of the sheet l2 to adapt itself more closely to the contour of the tapered portion 32.

The respective lengths of the oppositely disposed sides of the sheet forming the pendants 39 are such that with the collar installed, the marginal edges thereof do not project beyond the diameter of the enlarged body portion 33, as shown in Fig. 1. Likewise, as shown in Fig. 2, the laterally projecting wings 40 formed by the portions of the material between the scored lines are proportioned so that they do not project laterally beyond the diameter of the body 33. It Will thus be seen that, as is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the collars ll when installed on the bottles do not in any way interfere with the normal handling of the bottle by the neck thereof or prevent the body portions of the bottles from being stacked in side by side contact or crated.

Likewise, it will be seen that by the above described construction I have provided a bottle collar which may be cheaply made, conveniently carried or bundled in flat position without marring or wrinkling, and which can be quickly installed on the neck of a bottle under conditions where there is little or no light, it being only necessary to hold the flat sheet over the neck of the bottle and push it downwardly to insert the neck of the bottle through the median slot to spread the walls thereof to deform the collar to conform to the tapered portion of the bottle, as above described.

In Fig. 5 I show an alternative form of the collar II, the marginal edge thereof having straight sides 45 and 46, and having a transverse elongated slot l! terminating at opposite ends thereof in enlarged openings, such as round holes 49, disposed adjacent the sides 45 and 46 of the marginal edge, Scored lines 50 and 5|, and 52 and 53 are provided in one surface of the sheet I?! extending divergently outward from the respective openings 49 to the adjacent sides 45 and 45 of the marginal edge l3.

The operation of installing this form of collar and the function thereof to deform and adapt itself to the contour of the bottle, when the walls of the slot fill are spread are substantially the same as in the preferred form previously described.

With reference to Fig. 6, I show still another alternative form of collar II having a marginal edge l3 substantially identical with the preferred form shown in Fig. 4. In this form I prefer to provide an elongated slot 55 disposed in the transverse median plane of the sheet l2 and terminating at each end thereof in a shorter perpendicular slot 56. The slots 55 are provided to render the material between the outer walls 51 of the slots and the adjacent marginal edge more flexible and thus provide flexing portions 58, obviating the necessity for providing scored lines to promote creasing of the material when the neck of the bottle is inserted through the slot 55. When this form of collar is mounted on a bottle and pushed downwardly thereover until the walls of the slot 55 are stretched tightly therearound, the flexing portions 58 extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bottle on opposite sides thereof, and substantially the entire surface and marginal edge of the sheet between the parallel planes of the perpendicular slots 58, Will closely engage and conform to the contour of the tapered portion of the bottle.

It should be understood that I do not intend that my invention should be limited to the details of construction specified herein for the purpose of clearly illustrating the features thereof, but believe that the invention should be accorded its full range of equivalents, the scope of which should be interpreted by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Abottle collar, comprising: a sheet of flexible material having a suitably contoured marginal edge; walls forming an elongated slot terminating at each end adjacent said marginal edge of said sheet and disposed on a median plane thereof; and scored lines extending divergently outward from each end of said slot to the adjacent marginal edge of said sheet, the material of said sheet creasing along said scored lines when a tapered cylindrical bottle is inserted through said slot whereby substantially the entire surface and the entire marginal edge of said sheet except the portions between said scored lines engage and conform to the taper of said bottle.

2. A bottle collar, comprising: a sheet of flexible material having a suitably contoured marginal edge; Walls forming an elongated slot terminating at each end adjacent said marginal edge of said sheet and disposed on a median plane thereof; scored lines extending divergently outward from each end of said slot to the adjacent marginal edge of said sheet; and an indentation in said marginal edge on each side of said sheet between and disposed on a median plane thereof; and two said scored lines, said sheet creasing along said scored lines extending divergently outward from of said bottle. forms said sheet so that substantially the entire 3. In a bottle collar, adapted to be placed on a surface thereof except the portions between said bottle having a neck portion, an intermediate scored lines engages and conforms to said tapered tapered portion and an enlarged diameter body portion.

portion, said collar comprising: an elongated 5. A bottle collar comprising, a sheet of flexible sheet of flexible material having a suitably conmaterial having walls forming an elongated slot sheet; and two scored lines extending divergently material of said sheet creasing along said scored along the axis of said slot when said walls thereof lines engage and conform to the taper of said 0 walls of said slot deforms said material of said edge of said sheet, and means carried by said diameter of said tapered portion. sheet whereby, when a tapered cylindrical bottle 4. A bottle collar, comprising: asheet of flexible is inserted through said slot, substantially the edge; Walls forming an elongated slot in said sheet except the creased portion engage and consheet terminating at each end in enlarged openform to the taper of said bottle. ings adjacent said marginal edge of said sheet LEWIS HOEN. 

